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Marino
Marino '''is a Genin of Konohagakure. Backstory Marino was born and raised in a very remote, well-hidden village in the mountains of the Snow Country. When he was old enough, he was placed at his uncle's house for physical labour, as every pair of hands helped the village go around. Therefore, the semi-close relationship he'd developed with his parents growing up quickly dwindled the more time he spent making ends meet together with his relative and the monotonous day to day work dulled his senses in a way. Whenever his uncle was up for it, normally around every fortnight, he'd tell Marino stories about different interesting events that had occured in his youth. Most of the time, the term or phrase "ninja" came up. These tales intrigued the young and impressionable mind of the growing man as the stories developed and became ever so adventurous and dangerous throughout. As he grew to be a young adult, he understood the absurd nature of these unbelievable stories his uncle had fed to him regularly, and started analyzing them with a grain of salt. One day in his early teens, after a long day out in the field assisting his uncle, Marino happened upon a very loud and concerning scene close to the village inn. A travelling merchant was in the middle of a heated argument with the renowned drunk of the village, Hatekai. Standing tall with his long, silver streaked hair flowing down his back and with a brown cape draped over his shoulders to cover most of his upper body, the merchant was exuding a very dominant and irritated aura. The drunk, however, was in a fit of fury. Flailing his arms about in an exaggerated and hostile manner, he was most likely trying to pick a fight with the tall merchant. Events like these had occured before but they were far from commonplace. A small crowd had been gathering around the two men. The air was tense, yet somewhat calm, making the young teen very anxious and fearful for what was about to happen. Merchants brave enough to traverse the daunting path to reach their village had become scarce over the last couple of years due to their village's peculiar and remote location. Therefore, having the possibility of trading with one was a huge boon to all villagers, and Marino wasn't gonna let the retired blacksmith Hatekai ruin the opportunity for everyone just because he couldn't handle his temper, nor his alcohol. Quickly making his way through the crowd, he approached the two blabbering men and placed himself between them in order to avert the blacksmith's attention elsewhere. It had come as quite a shock to bmost people, as the youth hadn't shown any signs of being overly brave or heroic prior. He locked eyes with Hatekai and in a low, but firm tone said: "Are you really going to ruin our chances of stocking up on goods for the harsh winter to come, just so you can satisfy your need for a brawl? You must either be as blind as a mole or as stubborn as an unfed donkey, smith." This, just as Marino was prepared for, struck at all of the retired drunks' buttons, and made him even more furious to the point of attempting to punch the teen in the face, in order to regain the apparent respect he felt he deserved from him. Even though the smith was bigger and stronger than him, Marino didn't cower from this encounter as he knew he had to step in to resolve it before it was too late. He twisted his body in anticipation of the hit, reached out with his hands to meet Hatekai's blow, grabbed his wrist with his left hand, and tucked his right one under the mans armpit and bent his upper body with his back turned towards the smith. With the momentum and unbalanced nature of the drunk, Marino managed to awkwardly swing the smith using all the force he could muster and slam him against the floor with a loud '''thud. He then proceeded to turn Hatekai's wrist in an unnatural angle, to try and make him submit and stand down, which he did. With the help of the two bakers from the village, the smith was escorted away from the scene. Both bakers gave Marino a quick glance of newfound respect and admiration before heading off. As the crowd dispersed, the merchant went up to the youth and proclaimed his thanks and began praising Marino for his skill with the art of "taijutsu", followed by rigorous questioning on where he had learned such techniques. Baffled at the statements and kind of embarrased at the praise, he shrugged and tried to play it off, telling the man he was just a simple farm boy and hadn't trained more than a couple of times with his uncle for basic self defence. The look on the merchant's face afterward could only be described with one word: Awe. However, the words of the merchant stuck with Marino for a long time. He kept pondering over the enthusiasm of the merchant's behavior when it came to his skill in close quarters combat, and was intrigued even more by the unexpected and quite frankly ridiculous suggestion he laid before him. "You should really seek out a trainer in the village located in the Fire Country to hone that incredible talent. I've heard they have the most excellent teachers there." ... And there he was, many years later as an adult, standing on top of a hill overlooking the village he grew up in and had become so fond of. With his bag ready and stuffed with all the essentials for his journey, he finally decided to choose a path for himself and follow the merchant's words from so long ago. He was ready to carve his own destiny, and learn to master the art of "Taijutsu". New Way of Life After many weeks of what seemed like never-ending travelling, asking for directions and pent up frustration, Marino glimpsed the giant gates of the hidden leaf village. Even though it was evening and he'd travelled for the most part of the day, he jumped up in the air out of pure joy, as he dashed the remaining distance, with amazement and wonder sparkling in his eyes. As he drew closer to the village, he was met by a man dressed in simple gray pants, with a green vest and a black undershirt, sporting a red symbol on his left arm close to his shoulder. He beckoned Marino to stop and asked him the reason for his visit, because he'd never seen his face before. He told the guard what his plan was, and how he wanted to learn how to better his understanding of close quarters combat and to find a teacher that could help him achieve this goal. After some minutes of pondering, the guard decided to help Marino and show him around the village before walking over to the academy in search of one of the teachers there, and gauge the likelyhood of his enrollment. Many long moments later, he actually managed to convince the teachers that he at least deserved a chance to prove himself as a student, and was enrolled. He was then brought to a simple room with a bed and a closet for him to stay during his visit. The very next morning, Marino spent a good while laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling of the room he was in as he tried to grasp the scope of his journey, and the fact he actually managed to get accepted into the academy when he got here. He smiled, and looked out the window at a bird that was minding its own business, at ease on top of a branch sticking out of a lush tree. He raised himself, dressed, and headed out to meet the day with renewed vigor. Making his way to the academy, he met the teacher he'd planned a training session with, and began by showing him everything that he knew about the arts of being a ninja. To the teacher's dismay, his new student didn't know anything about.. well... anything, really. Chakra and how to control it, Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, Genjutsu and all the things a child would learn growing up in the village had flown over his head as he spent his upbringing in the mountains, but he was determined to go down this path despite what anyone had to say about it. So he trained, and studied. Then he trained some more, and studied continously for some time, trying to catch up on the basic knowledge the other students had. One day, he decided to eat out at the ramen shop situated in the center of the village, and he met a couple new faces he hadn't seen before and decided to put himself out there, trying to get acquainted with more of the villagers. As he related stories of his upbringing and listened to the other's, he managed to make a couple of very powerful and interesting friends. (Senju Itsuki & "Caper" Levi) Creeping Suspicions After spending more time in the village, getting to know its inhabitants (Tenson, Nami, Hieri, Sakai, Binjo), making good memories and training vigorously, Marino began to think he wasn't really... progressing as clearly or as fast anymore. He knew the techniques for channeling the inner energy of the body, the chakra, and how to utilize it. But he couldn't maintain it, for all he was worth! A creeping suspicion aroused within him, and he started dreading the thought. Gnashing at him from all angles, and making its way into his mind with the vigilance of a hunting tiger, the thoughts of his possible fate started wearing him down somewhat. He tried making sense of his clustered thoughts that were shooting in all possible directions, trying to find a conclusion to his worries. But the one future he dreaded most of all was also, in a twisted way, probably the most likely. Was he... Chakra deprived? One day, when he had a training session with Itsuki, he told her about his suspicion and worry, but she mostly laughed it off, and told him that nobody was born with talent for controlling chakra, and to just keep going at it. Reluctantly, he went with her planned practice of first jumping up a high mountainside, and then walking down it, using chakra beneath the soles of ones' feet for support. Failing the jump, and having to rely on Itsuki for support, Marino really dreaded the fact of the next part of the training. Walking down the mountainside by utilizing his control of chakra. This is something he couldn't control for more than maybe a second in previous attempts when his teachers instructed him to try and walk up the sides of trees. Bruises covered his body from these experiences. Nevertheless, he needed to break the barrier between him and his control, so he attempted it.... and failed. He plummered from the mountainside and landed on top of Itsuki, who had her arms out in an attempt to catch someone larger, and heavier than her. His vision blurry for some moments and his head spinning due to the impact, Marino just laid there next to Itsuki and the two onlookers. Apologizing and resupplying Itsuki with the possibility of him being chakra deprived, he tried his best to form his emotions into words, and said: "Like I said, I have quite a frightsome suspicion that I actually am chakra deprived and will have to live my oh so unnatural newfound ninja life pummeling through my obstacles with only the help of these two.." With such a detailed and semi-funny description, Itsuki and the others laughed. With the tension lost from his fall, and his aches beginning to subside, he too let out a chuckle, and they ended their session for the day there. Getting the foundations of his new life lin order, Marino was dead set on catching up with his comrades in the academy. Wanting to prove to his fellow students that he can prevail in his struggles, despite not being gifted with good chakra control or having any type of nature to speak of, he worked hard day and night. He let go somewhat of the restraining thoughts of his self-imposeed potential grave future and decided to not be bound by such trivial matters as only being able to use taijutsu for foreseeable future. Instead, planning to use it as an advantage, he focused most of his time practicing his techniques so that he outdo his fellow academy students in at least one area. A Clearer Path Pondering his predicament for a couple of days, he came to a conclusion. He needed to find a person that knew his limits and could help him overcome the obstacles that were to come. His mind lingered on a certain talented individual that he knew could help him in more than one area of his training and made a mental note of asking them the next time their paths crossed. Some time thereafter, Marino would take a stroll around the village in order to clear his clustered thoughts that were filled with different aspects on how to control one's chakra, from the scroll he was studying. Coming upon the training grounds as a result, he decided to check out what the noise and murmuring was about. Some academy students and a couple of genin were standing in a relaxed manner, speaking to the person he'd hoped to find. Strolling up to the group, he announced his arrival with a louder than normal greeting and turned his attention to the person of note. "I've been looking for you, Itsuki! Would you perhaps care for a short spar, to help me assess my current strength and what I have to do to improve my Taijutsu?" he'd ask with a shaky and uncertain tone at first but quickly turning it into a more confident-sounding question towards the end, steeling his voice and resolve. After telling the young student that she currently wasn't on duty, explaining the casual clothes she also noting the lack of a certain green flak jacket, she somewhat reluctantly agreed to his proposition of a spar, as she was curious on how he'd been progressing. Readying a stance he'd been practicing, Marino locked eyes with Itsuki and felt her tense gaze upon him like a hawk stalking its pray with not the slightest fear of being overwhelmed in any sense. Taking the first step to begin the battle, Marino ran up to Itsuki with an intent to at least land a punch on the woman. He started off with a feint, and put his body into the second punch of his "one-two" combo, aimed at her side. With the speed of a pouncing jaguar, she blocked the punch thrown by the student and retaliated with a jab of her own. After spending some time with her, Marino knew Itsuki wouldn't come at him with her full force or capable speed, so he took advantage of he situation and made an attempt to dodge her jab with a quick side step and a spin to get out of the range of the woman's fierce blow, which he succeeded. As he did so and gazed upon her brow once more, he noticed a sudden fatigue rush over his body and he realized he wasn't breathing properly. Capturing even the slightest hesitation from the student, Itsuki would engage once more and attempt a lightning fast combination that would entangle Marino's legs in her own, in an attempt to make him fall over and pin him to the ground. Unable to react in time and with the sudden loss of energy, he fell pray to the woman's ploy and ended up with his face planted in the ground and Itsuki being the victor of the spar, without visible effort. With a thud, Marino's fist came crashing down on the hard dirt, as the dissapointment crept into him like the crushing weight of an unforgiving tidal wave. A hand came into view as Itsuki sported a warm smile on her face and helped the young man to his feet. After a brief discussion about the spar, Itsuki instructed Marino on how to breathe properly in order to reserve his strength and to his surprise, she was quite impressed by his skills compared to when he arrived in the village. Seeing this progress, Itsuki made a bet with the young man. "If you can manage to become a genin within the week, I will make you my student and you'll train under my tutelage." Marino couldn't believe his ears. This was the reason he wanted to seek out Itsuki in the first place and the fact she proposed it to him instead of the other way around pleased him to no end. "I won't let you down. I'll do it." He said, with newfound resolve. With a goal in mind and a clear destination, he set to work. Vigorously, he practiced his chakra control to the point of sufficiency for the genin exams, for he knew if anything would be his undoing, it was that. Studying on the side when he was too exhausted to continune physical training, he'd try to understand more of the world he'd plunged himself into and the intricacies that came with it. When the time finally came, he'd done everything in his power to be prepared for the graduation. Even though his nerves and anxiety threatened to overwhelm his senses at times, he resisted the urge to call it quits and plowed through the exam with every piece of knowledge and understanding he had been gathering since his arrival in the village. And... He did it. Just barely scraping by certain sections of the exam, he actually, truly managed to overcome this seemingly huge obstacle. Holding the glistening, seemingly sparkling headband in his hands, it all suddenly felt like a dream. His journey from the snow country, his training and discovery of a whole new world with techniques and jutsus that he mere months ago wouldn't have considered possible. It all seemed so... surreal to him. And yet, there he was. Holding proof of his efforts and struggles. With speed and determination in his stride, he went out to find Itsuki and pass on the news of his graduation. When he did find her, he decided a proper "ceremony" should take place due to the nature of their bet. He threw her his newly acquired headband and knelt infront of her, telling her how he managed to pass the genin exam and graduated the academy. With a warm smile plastered on her face, she held her end of the bargain and proclaimed him as her student and promised to tutor him to the best of her abilities. As she tied the headband on the young man's forehead, they sealed their pact with eachother. "Prepare to be surprised by me in future aswell, then!" he'd say whilst chuckling, giddy from the pent up excitement residing within his body. The Way Forward (WIP) Personality As he is not from a family of ninjas, and didn't grow up learning too much about them, all the things he's being taught in the academy and from his friends really intrigue him. Sometimes, he becomes rather annoying with all the questions he splurts out, to find out exactly what each ability does, and how it's utilized. Normally, he exudes a calm, and happy aura that lightens up most moods, and his positive outlook also boosts that. He is an adult though, and when matters call for it, he's as serious as they come. Since he's come to the village hidden in the leaves however, he's become more self-aware on just how behind he is in certain areas, and just how strong the higher-ups in the village are. These things really ground him and make him work even harder in order to obtain his goals, even though he sometimes doubts his ability to do so. Appearance Coming from a rather poor family, Marino's dress sense isn't all too extravagant, which doesn't bother him in the slightest. He sports a simple black shirt and black pants, with a kunai holster on his right thigh. His hair has grown some, as he keeps some of it tied on the back of his head. As his adventures as an academy students started, he's been instructed to wear bandages on both his arms, due to his intense taijutsu training, and as a pre-emptive measure taken by his teachers, to relieve him of any permanent damage. From all the physical labour he endured during most of his upbringing, he's sporting lean, hard muscles across his body. They're not bulky per se, but well defined if anything. __FORCETOC__